Unspeakable
by andipanda9
Summary: Andi was a soc, but that doesn't mean her life was perfect. After an unspeakable attack by her father, she ran away. She didn't know where she would go, but she didn't care. The next day, she stumbles upon a boy getting jumped outside a movie house and saves him. What will come of this meeting? (Sorry, I suck as summaries)
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own anything. All rights go to S. E. Hinton.**

**Chapter one**

I lay in bed feigning sleep. He was on the floor. He fell out of the bed during the night. When I was sure he was out, I got out of bed and silently crept around him to my closet. I put on jeans, a grey Elvis shirt, and my favorite jean jacket with a red star across the back. I got my backpack and started filling it with everything I could think of: clothes, pads, my toothbrush, some money I had hid in my jewelry box for safe keeping. I slid out the door and looked down at him with utter hatred, a pool of drool had collected under his mouth. I made my way to the kitchen and packed some food, enough to sustain me for a few days or so. I also packed a few kitchen knives. I then went to the safe in the garage. I opened it as silently as I could. There was a clang when the door unlocked and I stood there for a second listening if anyone had stirred. Nothing. From it, I retrieved a pistol and a box of ammo. They wouldn't be missed. I closed the safe softly and made my way out of the garage door to the outside.

I was used to being hit, but this time he went too far. Once I was out, I started running. I didn't know where I was going, but anywhere was better than there.

I ended up in a small alley on the other side of town. I had been around here before, but I was just passing through. I was out of breath and decided to stop. I set my stuff down and sat against the wall, crossed my arms, and got a little sleep.

The sun was barely peering over the horizon when I woke. I lay there for a while as I think about what to do now. I eventually get up, grab my bag, and start walking. I walked all town, getting a feel for it. There were a lot of small shops and cool cars. I never really got out of the house much, just for school. I didn't have any friends. I didn't mind the company of other people, but I got along fine by myself.

It was approaching noon. I was walking along the sidewalk towards a movie house. There was kid coming out of it. He couldn't have been older than about 15, and he wasn't too bad looking. I guess he thought the same, 'cause he stopped and looked at himself in the reflection of a movie poster. A blue mustang came up alongside him a shouted something. He started to walk real fast away from them. By now, I had stopped walking and just watched what was unfolding. The mustang kept following him. Eventually, about five guys jumped out and chased the kid into an alley. I didn't know what to do. The grabbed him and pinned him against the ground.

By now, I had had enough. I unzipped my bag and grabbed two small pearing knives, one in each hand. I ran over there. They had a switchblade against his neck. And he was yelling out names. They tried shoving a cloth in his mouth to shut him up. I came up behind the guy with the blade and put the knives to each side of his neck. He stopped what he was doing and the other guys jumped back.

I pulled back slightly on the knives, motioning for him to back off the kid. He complied. I looked at the other and waved my head the side to their car. They stepped back slowly and nodded. I took my knives away and pushed the guy towards his buddies. They all ran to their car, cursing.

I stuck the knives back in my bag and looked at the kid. He had a small cut on his neck. He looked up at me, still surprised. "Um, thanks." He was shaken up. I heard a stampede of feet coming our way. A bunch of guys appeared from around the corner. One picked the boy up his armpits and started shaking him.

"You all right, Ponyboy?" He asked. I looked at him. He was tall, and very well built. His dark-brown hair suited him.

"I'm okay. Quit shaking me, Darry, I'm okay." He said shakily, but with haste.

The tall guy, Darry, stopped shaking him. "I'm sorry."

Ponyboy, still on shaky legs, sat down again and rubbed his cheek. I assumed that's where he got hit. Darry stood back with his hands in his pockets. "They didn't hurt you too bad, did they?"

The boy looked down. They had. "I'm okay….thanks to you." He looked up at me. I had forgotten that I was even there. Now all the guys were turned towards me.

"Who are you?" One of the boys asked me. I turned to him. He was tall-ish and lean. His curly hair was lathered in grease. "Well?" He pushed.

I stepped back, turned, and ran. "Hey, wait!" he yelled out, but didn't follow. I just kept running. I don't know why I was running. I didn't think they would hurt me, I just….didn't do well meeting new people.

I ended up in a park. I was small. I went and sat on the jungle gym thing. I sighed to catch my breath, and thought about the guys. There were seven of then I think. The muscle guy, Darry, and the young one, Ponyboy. What an odd name. Then there was the one who asked me my name. There was another tall one. He looked awful tough, and had a dangerous look in his eyes. But he didn't look as muscular as Darry. There was a small one next to him. He was slightly dark-skinned and had a bad scar on his cheek. I wondered if he got that scar from the same type of jumping I saved Ponyboy from. Then there was a really cute one. He wasn't as tall or as built as Darry, but there was something about his face. It was soft, but still somehow reckless. Gosh, he was cute. There was one last one. He was wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt. I chuckled a little thinking about it. He was pretty tall and stocky, and had quite the sideburns. They, along the events of today, went through my mind.

I must have fallen asleep, cause when I opened my eyes, the sky was dark and I was shivering. I grabbed my bag and started walking, looking for a decent place to sleep. I walked on the sidewalk, passing from streetlight to streetlight. I was getting kind of nervous. Suddenly a light came from behind me. I turned around to see headlights. A blue mustang slowly drove up by me. It was the same mustang from before, with Ponyboy. I kept my eyes forward, sinking my head into my hood. The mustang drove up further and stopped. Five guys stepped out, and sauntered toward me. They were obviously drunk.

"Well, well, well. Looky here, boys. Looks like we got a little greaser all alone in the middle of the night. Maybe we should take care of it." One of the guys said as he smiled dangerously. They circled me and started closing in.


	2. Chapter 2

I slowly reached back to my bag. One of the guys grabbed my arm. "Ah, ah, ah." He waved his finger at me and smiled. I tried to pull from him, but his grip was too strong. Another guy grabbed my other arm and a guy came up in front of me. It was the same guy whose neck I put my knives to when I saved Ponyboy. He grabbed my face and held it up. I gazed into his eyes with a mix of hate and fear, but mostly fear.

"Man, if looks could kill." He chuckled. "What you did earlier today wasn't very nice, ya know? I think we need to teach you lesson in manners."

I whipped my head out of his grip and spit in his face. He turned away and cussed, wiping his face. "You filthy little bitch." He came up and landed a hard one into my stomach knocking the wind out of me. I coughed. Tried to look up at him, but I was only met with a blistering slap across the face, busting my lip.

I could barely stand up so they dropped me. I lay on the ground coughing and trying to crawl away. The guy walked up to me and kicked me in the stomach. I gasped breathlessly. I fell to the side. I reached for my bag again, but the guy grabbed me by my hair and pulled me up. I couldn't even scream, the pain was so bad.

"What do ya got in this bag of yours that's so damn important?" the guy grabbed the handle on my bag and pulled me apart from it. He dropped me and took my bag. He started to unzip it. I knew if he found what was in it, I would be done for. I could feel the adrenaline through me. I got to my feet and before the other could stop me, I leapt for the guy and tackled him. We fell to the ground and the bag fell out of his hand. I got into my bag for what I needed. I pulled out the pistol.

I lay on top of him pointing it at his head. The barrel of the gun pressed between his eyes. I sat there, breathless. The others in his group didn't know what to do.

"Hey now." He looked up at me with wide eyes. "We were just playing, ya know. Just kiddin' around, your dig?" Ya, fucking, right. I got off of him but kept the barrel pointed at him. He slowly got up. I guess he could see I wasn't joking. I motioned the gun over to the car. The guys stepped back, ran to their car, and drove up like the devil was after them, cussing every word in the book as they did so. I hope they wreck.

I still had the gun pointed up. I tried to comprehend what just happened. I didn't know if I could really use the pistol, but I'm glad they thought I could.

"Hey, kid?" a voice behind me called. I whirled around, still holding the pistol up. "Whoa, whoa!" He put his hands up. "It's me. Do you remember?" He came closer, into the light. It was the kid with the Mickey Mouse shirt. I lowered the gun. He smiled. "Man, that sure is one tuff heater." I smiled half-heartedly.

I felt weak, and my knees failed under me. I fell the ground and blacked out. The last thing I heard was him cussing.

I blinked my eyes open. The sunlight was seeping through the blinds. I sat up, and felt light headed.

"You probably shouldn't sit up yet. Take it easy for now." A familiar voice rang. I turned to see Ponyboy standing in a kitchen. I stared at him for a little before gazing around at my surroundings. It was small house, a little messy, but it was cozy. I was on the couch. I looked down. I still had on my clothes. I looked around saw my bag was on the floor next to me. I sighed in relief.

"You're not from around here, are you?" Pony asked. I looked up at him. He rubbed his hair in his hands, gesturing to me. I rubbed my hair, realizing. I shook my head. My hair was…quite unique. My mother's a redhead and my dad's blonde, so my hair has an interesting combination of the colors. It's almost like a pastel strawberry blonde. It really offsets my bright blue eyes. I can't say I necessarily liked how I looked, but it's what I got. I looked down. "Don't worry, it…looks nice…tuff." Ponyboy smiled. I couldn't help but do the same.

I pulled my legs to me and sat crisscross. I rubbed my cheek where he hit me. I looked up at Ponyboy, then down the hallway.

"It's just me here. Darry and Sodapop are at work. You want something to eat? We got bologna sandwiches." He said while he fixed himself one. I shook my head and got up. I was kind of hungry, but I still felt sick to my stomach after last night. I grabbed my bag and walked slowly past the kitchen to the hallway, looking for the bathroom. "Take a right." Pony read my mind.

I went to the bathroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth. It was small bathroom, but it felt like a sanctuary to me. I put my hands on either side of sink and looked at myself in the mirror. I just stood there and stared. There was a pretty colorful bruise on my cheek and my lip was swollen. I lifted up my shirt and stood back from the mirror. It looked like a child went crazy with finger-paint. Nothing permanent, though. I just stood there in front of myself, in my underwear, a simple tank top and boy-shorts. I just wanted to disappear. Go somewhere away from everything. I wanted to cry.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a slamming door.

"Hey, Two-Bit." I heard Ponyboy say. What is up with these people's names?


	3. Chapter 3

I put my ear to the door, and was surprised by the familiarity of the voice I heard. "Howdy, Ponyboy. Darry wanted me to come over and keep an eye on you two troublemakers." I heard footsteps into the kitchen and the fridge opening. "Where is Sleeping Beauty, anyway?"

"Bathroom." Ponyboy said. I stepped away from the door. Looking around, I quickly grabbed some clothes from my bag, and slipped them on. A red cap sleeve, empire-waist shirt that extended to my thighs, and jean capris. I packed up all my stuff into my bag, my toothbrush and things. I put my hair into a ponytail, picked up my bag, opened the door and stepped out.

I walked slowly and lightly. I rounded the corner to the living room and saw Ponyboy on the couch with his sandwich, and Two-Bit on the floor in front of the T.V. with a whole chocolate cake in front of him and a bottle of beer to his side_. …that's different._

Two-Bit turned when he saw me. "She's alive!" he bellowed. Ponyboy rolled his eyes, but smiled. I smiled half-heartedly, and waved softly. I made my way over to the chair slightly behind Two-Bit, and looked to see what they were watching. Mickey-Mouse. _…..interesting._

I guess Ponyboy saw my face. "What?" he asked. "Two likes Mickey Mouse. I know it's weird."

Two-Bit turned around. "Hey! Mickey Mouse is amazing. You guys are just jealous."

I put up my hands in defense and smiled. To each, his own. I'm not judging.

"You sure are a quiet one." Two pointed out. I got a little nervous. I just looked to the side and shrugged. Two-Bit let it go. He was more interested in how Mickey was going to save Minney from Pete.

We sat there for a while watching Mickey. Pony on the couch and Two on the floor with his cake and beer. It felt nice. I don't know why, it felt…homey I guess. Comfy. But it was short lived.

The door opened and some tall guy came bursting in, door slamming behind him.

"Hey, lemme crash here for a little." The guy demanded.

"Well, why don't you just come on in Tim?" Pony mumbled.

Tim turned around. " 'Scuse me?" I could tell he was someone you didn't want to get on the bad side of.

Two-Bit could feel the tension and cut in. "What's the matter, Tim? Burst in here like the devil was after you." He chuckled.

Tim sighed. "Damn cops are lookin' for me." He walked to kitchen and got a glass of water.

"For what?" Two asked.

"Hell if I know. They're always on my ass for every goddamn thing that happens around here. Bastards." Tim went on cussing under his breath as he paced back to the living room. He plopped down on the couch next to Ponyboy, who looked obviously uncomfortable. Tim took another sip of water then looked up, finally noticing me.

"Who the hell are you?" he looked me up and down. "You're not from around here, that's for sure."

I swallowed, sinking deeper into my seat.

"Sh-she's a friend of mine, from school." Ponyboy came to my rescue.

"Yeah, she saved Ponyboy one time when he got jumped." Two-Bit butted in, chuckling.

Tim raised his eyebrow and smirked, "You got a girl to save you Ponyboy? Ha!" his smirk faded. "And from the looks of it, a Soc." He slammed his glass down on the table.

'Soc'. Short for 'Social'. The rich, west side kids. I had never gotten into any of that. I knew what all of it was, it was hard not to, but I never got involved in it. I didn't really have any close friends. I had acquaintances. You know, the people who would ask you to the occasional movie or lunch just to be polite, but they didn't really want you to come. I don't do well in people situations, especially the talking part. I didn't understand the whole feud between the Socs and the Greasers. It can't just be about money…can it? Really, from what I've seen, they're no different. If you disregard the money factor, they're the same. I've met Socs who were kind and sincere and I've met Socs that have been total dipshits and assholes. And recently, I've met two Greasers who are really nice, and one who could use an attitude adjustment. If someone could point out the differences and reason to me, by all means, be my guest.

The tension was rising again, but luckily it was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Police!" Shit, not luckily!

Tim jumped to the side of the couch to where he couldn't be seen from the door, and I hid behind the chair I was sitting in. We looked at each other at the same time. He gave me a confused look and I flung a "What? Mind your own damn business" look right back at him. Two-Bit went to the door and opened it.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" he asked, all cheeky.

"Where's Tim? We know you all are buddies, and we saw come this way." The cop said scruffily.

"Well sir, I don't know. I haven't seen him in a while, he doesn't usually come around here anymore." Two said. Man, he's a good liar.

"Don't lie to me, boy. If he's in there, you better tell us. Save yourself some trouble."

"I swear, sir, he's not here. It's just me and my friend." He smiled and looked over to Ponyboy.

The cop grunted, unsatisfied. "Fine. But if you see him…"

"You will be the first to know, promise." Two smiled.

The cops were about to turn away, but stopped. "Also," he added, "we're looking for someone else. I doubt she'd come anywhere near here, but she disappeared the other day." I could hear the officer shuffle with some papers. "Have you seen a girl that looks like this? Red hair, blue eyes, yay high." He held a paper with my picture up and showed with his other hand, my height, roughly. "She's from the other side of town, so I doubt you've seen her."

_Shit! …shit, shit, shit. _

"Uuuummmmmm," Two-Bit pretended to think. "No, no I haven't seen anyone like that around here, and it'd be kinda hard to miss her. She's awful pretty." _Aw, thanks Two-Bit_. "But I'll tell you what. If I see either of them, I'll have you guys on the phone, lickidy-split." He smiled.

"Sure, thanks." The officers sighed and went.

Damn, that was so fucking close. The coast was clear when the door slammed shut. I slowly stood up, Tim doing the same. I took a deep breath and slowly looked up at Two, Pony, and Tim. I smiled half-heartedly.

Tim marched over to me, his eyes flaming. He grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me up. "I knew you were a filthy Soc!" he spat. He threw me to the floor hard.

Two-Bit tried to step in. "Hey, Tim. Just calm—" Tim interrupted him.

"You stay out of this Matthews. This bitch almost got me caught." He hissed. _The fuck? No I didn't, that was your own damn fault._

"Why are you even here? What, you ran away or something?" he glared at me fiercely. I looked away, pretty much confirming it. "Aw, life to cushy for you? Too much money? Too many friends?" He mocked me and stepped closer. He crouched down in front of me. He smiled menacingly, his eyes were dripping with hate. "Mommy and Daddy love you too much?" he taunted me for that last time. That really got me. I remembered my father, if you can even call him that. He was a monster. I remembered the memory I tried to suppress of what he did to me, what he's done to me, and my mother. Tears filled my eyes, and my blood boiled.

Tim looked up to Pony and Two, chuckling. "Look, she's crying." He turned back to me, only to be met with my fist. I nailed him in the jaw with all the strength I could muster, knocking him into the table, spilling his glass of water on him. I got up huffing, trying to hold back the tears, not only from what he said, but from the pain in my hand. Mother-effer, that hurt. I turned to see Pony and Two, their eyes popping out of their skulls. Tim slowly rose. He turned to me, cupping his jaw. A trickle of blood came from his lip. I looked at him, trying to hold my ground. He met me with the most horrifying glare I'd ever seen. I could feel the blood drain from my face. I stood there, petrified. I'm dead.


	4. Chapter 4

As Tim stood all the way to his full height, he looked even more menacing, if that was possible. I shakily, and futilely, put my fists up in front of me like they did in the movies. The tension in here was so thick, you could cut it with a freakin' spoon

Suddenly, the door swung open. "Hey Pony, I got off….ear….ly…." he trailed off when he saw Ponyboy's face. He turned to see the very interesting scene that was taking place in his living room. We all turned to face him. "What the hell is going on?!" he yelled.

"This bitch is dead, that's what's going on!" Tim raised his fist to hit me, but Darry caught it.

"I don't know what the hell happened here, but I will not have you beatin' on a girl in my house." He locked eyes with Tim and they stood there for a moment. Then Tim huffed and dropped his fist. He turned to me.

"You better watch your back."

"Yeah, yeah, go to the bathroom and cool off." Darry pushed him off. Tim went, cussing under his breath and rubbing his jaw.

Darry sighed. "Jesus." He turned to me. "Put your fists down." He put his hand on my fists and pushed them down, chuckling humorlessly. He walked the kitchen rubbing his temples. "Is it too much to come home to, I don't know, some peace?"

So there we sat. Me on one side of the couch with ice on my hand and Tim on the other side holding ice to his face and Ponyboy sitting between us like a barrier. Two-Bit was on the floor eating his cake in silence, and Darry was sitting on the chair I was sitting on before in the corner of the room.

"Ok." He looked to me. "What happened?"

I shifted my head to the side and raised my eyebrows and puckered my lips. I shrugged defiantly, refusing to look at him.

"Okay, then, how bout you, Shepherd?" Darry shot in the dark.

Tim huffed and scowled.

"Does anybody want tell me what happened?" Darry asked desperately.

We sat there for a second silently before Ponyboy finally spoke up.

"Well," he hesitated, glancing over at Tim. "She's a Soc and Tim got mad and yelled at her so she hit him and then you came." He looked at Darry apologetically.

Darry sat there, a little stunned at what he heard. "You…hit him? Is that what happened to your lip?"

I nodded and Tim turned to him in confirmation.

"Wow, okay. Huh…" Darry sat back in his chair. "Why are you even here, Shepherd?"

"Cops were after me." He grumbled.

"Figured." He slapped the arms of the chair and raised himself up. "Well, nothing else I can do. You're free to leave, Shepherd. The cop are long gone." He went to his room, I'm assuming to change. He was drenched in sweat. I could tell his job was a hard one. Not only from his muscles, but from his eyes and his face. His eyes were deep set and his face was worn from worry and stress. I looked around the house. Closer than I had looked before. It was messy. On my way to the bathroom before, I noticed there were two rooms. They were small. I wondered where their parents were. Pony hadn't mentioned where they were this morning. Maybe they were gone. I didn't want to ask.

As I walked through the neighborhood yesterday, I looked at the houses. Where I'm from, the houses were two stories and decorated. The lawns were done and the cars had their own paved driveways. Here, it was wood-siding, squeaky porches, and dusty streets. It was depressing.

Then I looked at Two-Bit and Pony and Tim. They all looked rough, like they've led a hard life in their own way.

"Well," Two broke the silence. "I think I've had enough fun for today. Imma go home, you know, gonna take me a while to recover from all the fun I had today." He made a dash for the door. I reached out and caught his belt loop. He stopped and looked down at me. I gave him a pleading look. He sent it right back to me. He kept looking to the door then back at me then to the door then back at me. I glanced at Tim then back at Two then at Tim then back at Two. I just didn't feel…safe. I mean, no offense to Pony, but I didn't think he was really enough of a barrier between Tim and me. After staring at Two with the saddest puppy-dog face I could conjure, he sighed and sat back down on the chair in the corner.

"So you ran away, huh?" Two asked.

I nodded.

"Why?"

I looked to the floor. I didn't really want to tell, not that I could anyway.

"That's okay, you don't gotta say if you don't want to. Can you at least tell us your name?"

Shit. I looked to the floor again.

"Aw, come on. You can at least tell us that much." Two smirked.

I shook my head. No I can't.

"What, we're not good enough to know your name?" Tim spat. I frowned at him. I turned to Two-Bit and shook my head at Tim's question.

"Then just tell us. Hell, it can't be any weirder than Two-Bit or Ponyboy." Two-Bit chuckled.

"Hey!" Ponyboy feigned offense.

"What's going on?" Darry appeared, newly dressed.

"She won't tell us her name." Tim said.

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"Hell if I know, probably thinks she's too good for us." Tim was getting worked up again.

"Well if she doesn't want to say, we can't force her. It's fine." Darry shrugged.

I slammed my hands down on the table, quieting everyone. I was tearing up again, angry at myself. I turned to Pony and made a writing motion with my hands.

"You want to write something?" he asked, confused. I nodded. He got up and got me a pen and a notebook.

I started writing, viciously. I scribbled down everything that I was thinking. Some of was illegible, but I kept going. When I finished my first page, I ripped it out and gave it to Pony who started reading it aloud. As he read, I kept writing. I wrote about why I ran away.

Pony started. "It's not that I don't want to tell you my name, it's that I can't. I can't, because I physically cannot tell you. Anything. I can't talk. The doctors don't know why. My mom says I was fine as a baby, but one day, I just stopped talking. The doctors can't find anything wrong with my throat or anything. They say it must be something wrong with me. Mentally, or something. Maybe I saw something or whatever. I don't know. I know this sounds weird, and I hate it. There are so many things I want to say to you guys. Thank you for saving yesterday, Two-Bit and thank you for opening up your home to me, Darry and Pony. And I don't know why you hate Socs so much, Tim, but trust me, I'm not like them. I know the kind of Socs you're thinking of and I hate them too. I'm sorry to all of you for causing such trouble. And my name's Cassandra, but you can all me Andi." Pony and Two and Darry smiled at what I wrote and Tim just looked at me, but not with hate this time. It almost felt like contentment.

"Like I'd leave you out in the cold street." Two smiled. "And that's a cool name you got there."

"And it's no problem, you staying here. Our door is always open to help a friend, especially after what you did for Ponyboy." I looked up at Darry and smiled. I looked back at what I was writing.

_I ran away because…I couldn't take anymore. My father is a very successful man in the community, but at home, he was a monster. He hit my mother all the time and he would occasionally hit me. Over time, the attacks came more frequently and more brutally. He even broke my arm once. And almost broke my leg. I'm a dancer so that really scared me, the thought of not being able to dance anymore. That was the only time I could get away from it all and just focus on one thing, dancing. My mother always took it and never complained. She even stuck up for him a time or two. I couldn't believe it. She wouldn't even try to defend me or help me. I hated her almost as much as I hated my father. Then, the night before last, he came home drunker and madder than usual. _Tear drops started to fall onto my paper as I kept writing. The guys looked at me concerned. _My mother tried to calm him down, but he knocked her out with one hit. He came after me. I tried to run, but he caught me and dragged me upstairs to my room and pushed me onto the bed. _My writing slowed. _I tried to get way but he slapped me and pushed me back. He ripped my clothes off. I couldn't even scream. _ My eyes were so filled with tears, the page was getting hard to see. And it was getting soaked. _He ra- _I couldn't write anymore.

I was bawling. I turned away from the paper and started sobbing into my knees. Pony reached to comfort me, but I violently withdrew from his reach and stormed outside to the porch. Ponyboy slowly took the paper and started reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Sorry, this chapter is slightly shorter than the rest, but I hope you all enjoy. oh, and Happy New Year's! :)

* * *

I wiped away the tears with my sleeve and went to the front of the porch, putting my hands on the railing for support.

I just spilled my guts to a bunch of guys I didn't even know! I suddenly felt embarrassed. I chuckled humorlessly at myself. I can't even remember the last time I talked to a guy, I mean I can't remember the last time I talked, period, but you know what I mean. I don't even remember what my voice sounds like. I tried to remember. It was weird to think about. You never really listen to yourself, what you sound like. I'd give anything to know what I sounded like.

Thinking about it helped the tears to stop flowing. It was a bit cold outside, but it felt good. It cooled my anger and hate and frustration and desperation. I didn't hear anything from inside the house, until Two-Bit piped up.

"Well, I've always wanted to work on my mind readin'." He tried to lighten the mood. That's just like Two-Bit. I thought about the guys. I've only known them for what? A day? And I barely know anything more about them than their names, but I've already spilled practically my life's story to them. I mean, they felt trustworthy enough to me, but still.

Darry seemed strong. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally, as well. He seemed like the one that always kept his head while everyone else was going crazy. And I guess Ponyboy's like that too, except more shy, and smaller.

Tim seemed…dangerous…but not completely unreasonable. He seemed misunderstood. I don't think we'll ever get along, but I don't think we're mortal enemies anymore either. I think he's trustworthy as well. Not in the same way as Darry and Pony. Like, as long as there's something in it for Tim, he'll keep his word. I mean, that counts for something, right?

And Two-Bit…I can honestly say he's one of a kind. He always knows what to say to cheer people up without being completely insensitive. And he's got pretty interesting taste. I thought about his breakfast of cake and beer, and chuckled. And thanks to him, I watched my first full episode of Mickey Mouse. I sighed and smiled. My tears had all but stopped.

And I have to admit, they were all pretty cute, even Tim, in their own way. Darry had the best body, but Two-Bit smile was so freaking cute!

My thoughts were interrupted by the squeak of the door. I whipped my head around to see Ponyboy. I turned back around in embarrassment. I didn't know how to face the guys. I'd never really gotten much practice at social interactions.

"Um, you can come inside if you want." Pony said hesitantly. "It's kinda cold out here."

I _was_ starting to get cold. I didn't really want to see their faces, but I put on big girl panties and followed Pony inside.

I kept my head down as I walked in, cautiously raising it up once I sat down. I don't know why, but the first person I looked at was Tim. He was looking down.

"I guess it's bad all over." He mumbled. _No shit. _But I did feel a twinge of relief.

Suddenly, Two clapped and started rubbing his hands together. "So, you dance?"

I looked to him and nodded. He smiled expectantly. I cocked my head to the side, confused.

"Show your stuff. I wanna see them fancy dances they do over on the west side." He smiled and motioned me to the middle to the room.

I had never been ashamed or anything of dancing in front of people, but I suddenly felt embarrassed. But I got up and moved the table to the side of the room. I stepped to the center of the room and took a deep breath.

The room was kind of small so all I did were a few pirouettes and leg lifts. I hadn't gone to practice in a little while so I was losing my splits. I don't why I felt as embarrassed of that fact as I did.

When I was done, I opened my eyes and looked around. What I did wasn't exactly a routine, it wasn't even organized, just whatever I felt like doing at that second, but they must have thought I was a little good cuz they just stared. Finally Two-Bit jolted up and started clapping violently.

"Bravo!" he practically screamed. "Encore, Encore!" He wiped a fake tear away. I smiled and bowed in thanks. They all laughed, 'cept Tim, who just rolled his eyes and smirked.

"That was amazing, Andi!" Ponyboy complimented.

"That was beautiful." Darry added. I blushed slightly and mouthed a "thanks".

"What's beautiful?" A guy walking in through the front door asked. Everybody turned to see who it was.

"Look Soda, we got a ballerina!" Two-Bit greeted him. Soda looked at me and I looked at him.

_Holy shit, he's cute._

* * *

P.S. For anyone who doesn't know what a pirouette is, it's a full turn on the toe or ball of one foot. Its kind of more advanced than that, but that basically what it is. You can look it up, they're pretty cool. :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. I'm really sorry for not updating for a while. Some crazy shit's going down in my life right now, so I apologize if I start taking a little while to update. Thank you all for your reviews, please keep them coming, I appreciate the feedback. :)**

_Geez, another one with a weird name!_

"Cool! Where's your tutu?" He said without batting an eye. Another guy came up behind him.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. He plopped down on the couch next to Ponyboy. The other guy went into the kitchen to get something to eat.

"So you're the one that saved Ponyboy, huh?" Soda asked.

I looked to the side and shrugged.

"Aw, don't be humble." He smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Sodapop, but everyone calls me Soda. I'm Darry and Pony's brother. And that's Steve, my best buddy."

_Ponyboy and Sodapop…._I_ would reeeeaaaally like to meet their parents. _

I shook his hand and smiled.

"Her name's Andi." Two-Bit helped me. "She doesn't talk much."

"And she's a dancer." Soda added, smiling. _Goodness gracious, his smile. Whoo, I could just melt!_

"Yeah, she just did a dance for us and man, it was cool." Two said

Soda turned to Pony. "You like dancing, right, Pony?"

Pony looked shocked, being put on the spot.

Steve smirked at Pony. "Yeah, Ponyboy, you like that stuff, don't you?"

Ponyboy glared at him.

"Yeah, Ponyboy, come on, dance with the lady." Two-Bit pushed.

Pony looked at me, blushing violently. I smiled. It was kinda funny how embarrassed he was getting, and I kinda wanted to join in. I went up to Ponyboy and held out my hand, inviting him to dance with me. He looked up at me all panicky. I cracked up and grabbed his hand, pulling him up.

I had done a little ballroom dance before, a little waltz. I lifted him to his feet and put his hands on my waist and in my hand. He hesitated so I took the lead.

We stumbled around the living room, laughing our asses off along with our audience. Then Ponyboy released my waist and spun me. It was the most fun I've had in a long time.

After dancing for what seemed forever, we both dizzily fell on to the couch, still laughing. Everyone was clapping, and even Tim looked like he was having fun. I smiled the biggest smile I ever had. _So this is what it felt like to have friends and have fun…wow._

After we had all calm down, Darry got up and asked Pony and Soda to help him make dinner. Tim got up and said he better get back to Buck's place. I got up as he walked past. I looked at him and held out my hand. He just looked at me. So I grabbed his hand and shook it. I got the notebook. _Truce?_ I wrote.

He just looked at me and turned to leave. "You're so weird." He said as he left. I smiled.

We all sat down for dinner. Tonight's special: Blue mashed potatoes and eggs. The eggs weren't blue, just the potatoes. I looked at Ponyboy. I glanced at my plate then back at him.

"Don't worry, it's just food coloring." He informed me.

_Uh huh… eh, what the hell. _I took a bite. It tasted normal enough. And you better believe I was starving, I hadn't eaten anything for a day and a half. When it was all done, I had had three plate-fulls.

"Shoot, how much you eat, you're practically a Curtis already!" Darry chuckled.

"Hey!" Pony and Soda feigned offense. I smiled. Steve and Two-Bit left after dinner.

Pony and I did the dishes since Darry and Soda cooked. I had never done the dishes before; we had maids and cooks that did everything. I was kind of fun though. I splashed water at Pony. He retaliated by throwing a whole wad of soap bubble at me. We had a whole water fight that only ended when Darry stomped in asking what the hell was going on. We both stopped in our tracks and pointed at each other, innocently. Darry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Geez, now I have _three _little brothers." He said, exhausted, and went back to his room. Pony and I burst out laughing. We eventually finished the dishes and cleaned the water up from the floor.

"Hey are you sure you're ok sleeping on the couch?" Pony asked.

I nodded and smiled.

"Ok. If you need anything, just ask." He assured me before he went to his room. I smiled. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth before settling into the couch. They had given me blanket, into which I wrapped myself like a burrito. It wasn't long before I drifted into unconsciousness. But it wasn't long before I was yanked out of my peaceful sleep by flashes, memories, nightmares. I tried to go back to sleep, and I succeeded a few times only to be woken up again.

The last time I woke up, the sky was lightening with the sun's morning glow. I sighed and got up, figuring any more attempts at sleeping would be futile. I wrapped the blanket around me and went out to the porch. I sat on the railing, resting my back on one of the columns. I looked in to the sunrise and at the sky's fading colors. It was so beautiful. I sat there and basked in its much-welcomed warmth.

**Pony's p.o.v**

I woke up a little earlier than usual. I got out bed and yawned, looking at the clock. Soda would be waking up soon for his shift. I went out to the kitchen. Darry had already made coffee and was reading the newspaper. I looked to the living room, but Andi wasn't there.

"Where's Andi?" I asked Darry. He turned to the window. I did the same. She was sitting on the railing of the porch, bathed in the glow of the rising sun.

"She sure is pretty, isn't she?" Darry commented as he went back to reading his paper.

"Yeah." I said softly. _Beautiful._


End file.
